28 June 2021

15 Minutes Challenge, Covid Vac and likely to Go into Restrictions again

 Today the government has announced that they are tightening restrictions again. There has been a large outbreak in the eastern states and smaller ones in the NT and WA.  At the moment there are non here but it probably is only a matter of time as there has been lots of travel between the states and it is this new Delta strain that they say is more contagious.  Our borders are closed again to all but Tassie and Victoria.

About 10 days ago the government also announced that they no longer were going to give the Astra Zeneca vaccine to 50 to 59 years old.  There have been a number of deaths due to blood clotting and quite a few hospitalisations, I admit I was waiting.  I am not an anti vacser as my mother had polio in the 50's and she always instilled in us the importances of vaccination but the side effects to Astra Zeneca even if it was 1 in 200,000 were too great.  As soon as they did the switch my husband and I made our appointment. Thursday we went off and stood in line and got the jab.  We are due for the next one in 3 weeks.  

Work is still a bit of nightmare, I found something I missed from a couple of months ago and had to come clean to the boss.  He found something he missed as well and his comment is that he is sure there is more. This is the type of stuff that happens when you just have too much going on.  I'm not really stressed at all about it which is surprising me, I've given up on trying to get it all done just have to try and get what I can get done.  





Well this week on the challenge front I've managed 7 out of 7.  I actually started socks this weekend, and finished the main part of the cross stitch drum, I'm working on the top now.  Quilt Quilt 3 is quilted just have to put the binding on.  Might get a chance during the week ... fingers crossed.   I also did some more on the Hetties Embroidery Book, but that's a bit slow going.  

Hope your week is going well.  Its been pretty wet here winter is sort of here I think the weather is really up the creek.  

Check out how everyone is going at Kate's.




21 June 2021

15 Minute Challenge, Quiet Weekend for Once

Work continues to be a bit more than the hours I am getting paid, but I think the boss has decided to give all these interstate clients back to the other state when these couple of months are over.  What management  have tried to sell as a growth opportunity is really more work and stress for the same pay.  

Mo has decided that she really doesn't want to work, she isn't a really big spender so the anxiety that working gives her doesn't really have any reward apart from saving money.  As she is on semester break at the moment we have told her just work out the shifts that she is given over the next month and then make a decision.  We also talk to her about going to counselling for her anxiety, and she has booked herself in.  The job kept ringing her to do shifts when she was trying to get stuff finished at the end of semester but instead of just telling them to back off she wouldn't so she was stressing about work and the amount of projects she needed to finish.  I think she is a lot happy now that we have told her that she doesn't have to work if it is causing that much anxiousness and we are happy for her to concentrate on school.  

She has plans to work on her business, get a portfolio started and website and maybe do some small markets over summer, so she will not be idle.  

I finished another Carry All, basted quick quilt 3 and worked on some embroidery and cross stitch so my hands have been pretty busy.   





Maestro made a flying visit last week to clean out my medicine cupboard.  He is still fighting off a cold that he has had for a couple of weeks but he seems pretty happy still, though he is working too many hours at the moment.  





14 June 2021

15 Minute Challenge, Fibre Feast & Quick Quilts 3 Ready to download

 Work is still a little nuts but I seem to be coping.  It was a 6 out of 7 week this week and we had a long weekend so I have sewn for the last 3 days a bit in the sewing room and a bit of embroidery.  

I've been working on another carry all I have the binding to go but I am  sure I am going to have a sore shoulder tonight from wrangling the thing under the machine to put the sides on.  I'm not sure if my bernina would have gone through all the layers the juki did it but just... never again with Home dec fabric.  

I found a nice piece of voile that is the right size for the back of Quick Quilt 3 which you can download for free from here  .  So that will be on the agenda for next week.  



Yesterday I went to Fibre Feast a market for all things yarn inspired.  I made a serious dent in the cc and I only was there half an hour it was pretty packed with people and there was a line up when I left.  I am really glad I got there just after opening time.  My loot is in the picture below.  There are a couple of things for crochet and a few more sock yarns to add to the stash and it won't be long until I start on that adventure.  

I worked on the Hetties Embroidery page, I've added to it since taking this snap.  

Nothing to report on my cross stitch this week, I think I will get back to it this evening.  





  


07 June 2021

15 Minute Challenge and Not Much To See

 I can't remember if I stitched everyday but it may have been a 5 or 6 out of 7 week for me but I may have briefly picked up my cross stitch and ended up doing a 7 out of 7 it is anyone's guess. 

DH and I went out to lunch with Maestro this weekend at the restaurant where he works.  He was given the whole weekend off as he had worked 8 days straight and his boss just said he needed it.  Lunch was really nice, he had the boss prepare it for us and he gave us huge serves which none of us could finish including Maestro who has hollow legs.  

He wanted us to go to his apartment so that we could measure up a stand for the dryer they have purchased.  He seems to be coping with doing his own washing and cleaning without much fuss.  The flatmate is a bit of a neat freak which suites Maestro, he is pretty minimalist and once we were through high school he kept his room pretty tidy.  He came back home with us as he was going to a party with friends close by and watched the footy with DH.  

I am working on another catch all caddy.  I found a shop not to far away that stock the by Annie patterns and all the supplies.  O my everything to do with those patterns costs money but I like the finish on them.  I have a few patterns now and am going to make a few more items to store hand work.  

As I said I mainly worked on my cross stitch this week, which included some unstitching when I found I had worked the border wrong.  I also found a website where you can download some patterns by another designer that I quite like.  I purchased some linen to make the first one  which should come later this week and I might sneak that project in next but I still have a way to go on the pin drum.  


So how did you go this week.  

Check out Kate's to see how everyone is travelling.  


31 May 2021

15 Minute Challenge & Quick Quilt 3 Top finished

Work was a little better last week and I only had to put in a couple of extra hours.

This week I got the first instalment of an embroidery club run by my local quilt shop.  The first box of goodies with beautiful threads and linen to complete the project.  The end result will be a cloth book of various embroidery techniques and a few smaller pieces thrown in.  





Another shop was offering Cosmo thread packs at a bargain price.  I ended up with 100 skeins with only a couple of double ups so I was really pleased I probably won't have to buy threads for a while for any cross stitch projects that I decide to start down the track.  I do love the Weeks Dye Works threads they work out so much more expensive when compared to normal stranded cotton.    



Yesterday I finished the border for Quick Quilt 3.  I haven't decided on a backing yet but I have the batting ready to go.  I think I'm going to quilt this one with my walking foot for a change and maybe repeat the flower of the main fabric in the centre square.  We will have to see how enthusiastic I am to do that once the straight quilting is done. That usually bores me to tears so I may just give up at that point.  I will be working on the written pattern next, it will be up on the website by 15/6/2021.



There isn't much progress on my cross stitch I spent quite a few nights winding embroidery threads on to cards.  

Mo is a bit frantic this week it is the last week of school and she has lots of drawings to be finished from her Introduction to Drawing Class that need to be at the school a week from Wednesday.  She got back the coffee cup and pot that she made for boyfriend's birthday.  The black clay looks amazing though she overdid the flow top glaze which caused a bit of a problem in the firing but the cup looks wonderful regardless and of course I want one or may a set.  I'm sure I'll get some more one day.  


I think it was a 5 out of 7 this week for sewing.  There was a couple of days when I just couldn't managing doing anything, hopefully next week will be better.  

See how everyone else is doing at Kate's.  




24 May 2021

15 Minute Challenge - I really Hate Work at the moment

Work is really crappy at the moment and I am not getting anywhere.  I'm just over it and we will just leave it at that.  It was only a 5 out 7 week for me because a couple of the days were just meh.. I also hurt my neck so that hasn't put me in a good place either.  

We helped Maestro buy a new car this week and the dealership was a good hour drive from home so we have had a couple of busy days getting that purchase finalised.

On the weekend I picked up the sewing pace and got the next Quick Quilt together.  This one so far is my favourite.  I managed to over cut the flying geese units so I have decided to add a goose border to go round the quilt.  The geese are all made so just have to trim them up and add them on.  

There was a bit of progress on the cross stitch not as much as I would like but it is getting there.  

Hope your week has been filled with lots of stitching.

17 May 2021

15 Minute Challenge What a Weekend

Stuff got complicated and stressful at work last week, mainly people just making things hard when it didn't need to be.  To top it all off DH went to dinner with people from work Friday night came home on a late train and managed to leave his phone on the train (we think). So about 11.30 friday night I was driving him back into the city to see if his phone was handed in then we chased a couple of trains to see if his phone was on them.  Today still no phone, the battery died Friday night so Find my Phone isn't working.  At least his life isn't on his phone like mine is but it is still a pain in the butt.

I finished the Catch all caddy.  The binding was a serious struggle especially since I used home dec fabric and I have another one cut out using the same type of fabric what was I thinking.  

Quick Quilt 3 is well on the way.  All the pieces are cut and I am halfway through the construction process.  The first units are done for all the blocks I now have the flying geese units to make that's this weeks task.  Here is my first block.  





There has only been a bit of progress on the cross stitch.